I was in need of bodywork
That is exactly what came up as I was scrolling social media, but this lady offered so much more. She worked out of her own home, a cozy little studio, and she offered things I knew nothing about at the time. Past life regression. Craniosacral therapy. Drumming circles. I was not there for any of that. I only wanted bodywork. What I experienced instead is what eventually led me to becoming not just a Level 3 Reiki Master practitioner, but a teacher who can certify and attune others who are ready.
A year later she came up on my feed again, and of course I was in need of a massage again. This time I had a session that stirred something I had been carrying since I was young. Energies tied to an event I had never truly faced or processed, even though I truly thought I had. I did not understand it then. I only knew I left changed, and not just in my body.
Shortly after that session she invited me to a women's retreat, off grid, deep in the Maine woods, with a group of strangers. I told her thanks but no thanks. She kept asking. She saw something in me that I still had not. My partner had seen enough change in me that he encouraged me to go too. Being a mom, it is hard to spend the money and the time on yourself. For some reason we need to be told from the outside that it is okay. So I went. It was life changing.
When she offered Reiki Level 1, I took it, and I practiced on everything I could. Myself, my family, my animals, even my plants. Then Level 2. I kept going with no intent to open a studio. I just felt better than I ever had, in a more sustainable and wholesome way. By the time I reached Level 3, emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually, I was elevated. I felt part of something powerful and real.
I felt so strongly that I was compelled to share it. With how we are all living right now, we need this. All of us. Not just women in some hard season of life. Men need it as much as women, and so do teens, kids, and animals.
“I just felt better than I ever had, in a more sustainable and wholesome way.”
Three levels, and a lot of practice
I practiced on everything I could. Myself, my family, my animals, even my plants.
I kept going with no intent to open a studio. I just felt steadier, with more clarity and fulfillment and purpose.
I felt elevated. Part of something powerful and real. So I felt compelled to share it.
A dog named Miss Moo
My dog Miss Moo came off the streets of Mississippi with a whole host of issues, including food insecurity that made her sick almost daily. Animals are naturally more in tune with energies. They run off of our energies, and words are secondary to them. She stopped me in my tracks one day, getting my attention in a big way. Any paw-parent knows how their fur-baby communicates. When I finally asked her if she would like Reiki, she rolled over and opened herself up to me. So I gave her a doggy session, and the results were immediate.
I began practicing Reiki with her as part of the care she received, and we looked at her food to make sure she was getting what her body needed. Today she keeps her food down, has put on weight, and at five she has more energy than when we brought her home at one. That is one reason animal sessions matter so much to me. Since becoming a Reiki Master, animals respond to me in a new way. They approach me with more curiosity and trust, and often they lick my palms, somehow knowing already that is where the energy is streaming from.
I say “Namaste” because I like what it means, not because I am Hindu.
A lot of people think I am Christian because I talk about Christian values, but the truth is I am really talking about human values.
I have been asked if I am a Buddhist, just because I have found inner peace.
A lot of my friends are Pagan, and they think I am one too, because I say that being in nature is my idea of going to church.
Do you want to know what I really am? It is very simple. I do not need a label to define me.
I am a piece of the universe, sentient and manifested,
and I am awake.
Come as you are
Whatever you are carrying, physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually, we begin there. Your comfort is the most important thing.